An introduction to souvlaki

Souvlaki, plural souvlakia, is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and
sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It is usually served with grilled bread, or in a pita wrap with
garnishes and sauces, or on a dinner plate, often with fried potatoes. The meat usually used
in Greece and Cyprus is pork, although chicken and lamb may also be used. In other countries and for
tourists, souvlaki may be made with meats such as lamb, beef, chicken and
sometimes fish (especially swordfish)

Souvlaki and gyros are the most famous street foods in Greece. Even if we consume them very often in
this country, most people do not know its origins. We will try to present you a few information about
souvlaki, so everytime you taste it you will remember its long history.
Souvlaki is one of the most popular delicacies of Greek gastronomy, its recipe has its routes in
antiquity. The first reference we have about souvlaki, is in Homer's heroic poems, where Achilleas is
been described to roast on burning coals pieces of meat. Another source is the book "Dipnosophiste"
which was written by Athineos, who was a Greek biologist and gastronomist. Also Igisipos in his
cooking guide which he named "Opsartitiko" he refers to a dish which was named "Kandavlos" and
was made of pieces of meat, cheese, pita bread, dill and was served with a sauce. In roman
manuscripts of the 1rst cent. A.D.we have references about souvlaki made of guts, and many years
later in Instanbul, about vendors selling souvlaki with pita bread in the streets. During the decade
of 1940souvlaki became popular in the refugee's neighborhoods, such as "Koridallos" and in Piraeus a
refugee from Istanbul made in 1950 the first wrapped souvlaki with kebab.
 The most classic form of souvlaki is roasted pieces of pork, which are skewered in a small wooden
spit, it is usually served with a piece of bread or a pita bread cut in four pieces. It can also be prepared
with chicken meat (which can be combined with bacon) beef meat, also from a combination of lamb
and beef meat (kebab) , from burger or sausage. Souvlaki is also served with pita bread, wrapped in it,
with potatoes, tomato, onion, parsley, tzatziki or sauce and paprika. In modern Greek cuisine souvalki
is also made of roasted vegetables.

Kalamaki (small reed) is a synonym for souvlaki proper in Athens, where the word Souvlaki is used
colloquially for any kind of pita wraps.
Souvlaki-merida
Merda means portion. While souvlaki is eaten plain on hand as a fast food, it is also served as a full
plate, served with fried potatoes, vegetables, sauce, and quartered pita bread. Usually it consists of the
ingredients of a souvlaki-pita (see below), but laid out on a plate, instead of wrapped together for eating
on hand.

Pita

Pita is a form of partially leavened flat round bread with a diameter of approximately 15 cm (5.9 in), used
to wrap souvlaki or yiros. It comes pre-baked and will additionally be grilled on the meat drippings just
before serving, unless the customer requests it not to be.

Souvlaki-pita
Gyros sandwich

This course consists of souvlaki meat garnished with sliced tomatoes and onions,
fried potatoes, tzatziki, and wrapped in a lightly grilled pita. Salads like ketchup and
mustard, ktipiti, Russian salad or melitzanosalata can also be used as an extra option. When chicken is
used instead of pork meat, tzatziki and onions are replaced with a special sauce and lettuce to be
compatible with its taste; Various other garnishes and sauces are possible, including
shredded lettuce, paprika, fried potatoes, ketchup, and mustard. In Athens and southern Greece it is
called pita-kalamaki. Any of these components may not be included, at the request of the customer.
Hungry customers may occasionally request a two-pita wrapping (diplopito) and/or a double meat
serving (dikalamo).

In Corfu, a special tomato sauce is added to souvlaki, plainly called "red sauce" ( ).